Tonberry
by Fearlessed
Summary: She's tired, depressed and feeling lonely right now. Of course she is. Anyone would be. Can he be the one to make her happy again? He'll do anything to see her smile. Love is a funny thing, isn't it? Oneshot, Complete!


**A/N: *Sigh of relief* FINALLY my first ever Fanfic! WOO-HOO! Right-o! SO, this has been playing on my mind since I was playing on FF8 one time and I was trying to fight 20 Tonberry's to get the Tonberry GF. And then this story idea just popped into my head and I was like 'OMG! This could be awesome!' (btw, I was totally tired this morning, so I've been drinking red bull and now I'm totally hyped up… can you tell? :D) So, I really hope you enjoy my fic, it's my first EVER :O! If you have the time, please, please press the little review button when you've finished reading! It will make my day! OH aaaand if you haven't already played the game, there are major plot spoilers in this fic. *SPOILER* This fic is set not long after Trabia Garden is destroyed.**

**Thanks to all Reviewers! You guys made my year :D! Virtual cookies for you allllll!**

**Disclaimer: Most unfortunately, I do not own Final Fantasy VIII and its wonderful characters; the only thing I do own is my plot for this fic. If I DID own FF8, I'd be in it of course :D**

Summary: She's tired, depressed and feeling lonely right now. Of course she is. Anyone would be. Can he be the one to make her happy again? He'll do anything to see her smile. Love is a funny thing, isn't it? Oneshot, Complete.

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><p><span>Tonberry<span>

Walking, along the dusty plains of Centra, was a tough trek for the three party members. Staring at endless plains and fighting endless monsters, was really taking its toll on the SeeDs. For hours, they had been trailing across dirty grounds under the beating sun. Small beads of sweat were gathering along a certain blondes' forehead, as his lungs grew tired under the pressure of the extra effort needed, to continue to supply oxygen to his body.

A young brunette woman alongside of him wasn't doing any better off either. Her small, yellow dress neatly hugged her petite figure, and her brown boots were taking a serious pounding from all of the stones, boulders, rocks, dust and otherwise barren surroundings. The girls' fringe and the sides of her hair were beginning to stick to her face, and her usually vibrant, emerald eyes, were starting to look heavy and lose their sparkle through exhaustion. She was beginning to wonder why the party leader, Squall, had even asked herself and Zell, the blonde haired young man, to come with him in his trek to investigate some legendary ruins of the Centra region, but she dismissed the thought as she considered the concept that maybe, just maybe, they'd find them.

After finishing off a Buel, the seventeen year old girl withdrew her trusty nunchaku, and wiped her forehead with the back of her arm. She placed her hands on her knees as she rested briefly, before needing to run to catch up to a hasty squad leader, to continue on their journey to reach the Centra Ruins…which may not even exist…

"_Always in a hurry…" _the usually perky girl thought, absent-mindedly. She began to wish that she had the GF that held the Elem-Def-J junctioned, she wished that she could junction fire to said ability so that maybe she would have some kind of protection from the heat. She never normally got so tired, so fast. Yeah granted, all three of the friends were having a hard time, but the young woman really seemed to be struggling today. And it was beginning to show.

The blonde young man looked over his shoulder to check on his teammate whom was lagging behind, "You okay there, Selphie?"

"Yeah, of course! Just a little tired, that's all!" She lied, her smiling face acting as a barrier from the feelings that really hid within.

Throwing her an unconvinced look over his shoulder, they hurried on, attempting to keep up with Squall, the man of few words.

"Yo, Squall! Do you even know where we are? I mean, we've been walking for hours now, man!"

"We'll continue towards the south of the continent…"

'_If you don't like it, why did you even ask to come?' _The brunette thought to himself.

"…If we cannot locate the Centra Ruins, we will proceed back to Garden and discuss our next move."

Zell let out a grunt to show his dissatisfaction, as he did not get an answer to the question he had asked. Squall ignored him anyway. As far as he was concerned, the quicker they complete their mission, the quicker they can get back to Garden. Their_ home_.

Zell had continued to pester Squall for another half an hour, while Selphie remained rather quiet. Unusually quiet. Selphie was normally upbeat and cheery, she'd be constantly keeping up the morale of the group with her sunny smile and nature but today…it just wasn't happening. Her smile would melt when no one was looking. Of course, whenever either Squall or Zell _did_ look over to check on her, she would be hiding her real feelings behind a false smile. Only someone who knew Selphie inside and out would realise, that this was just a front. She ploughed on through the many monsters that they encountered, though, and she hid her fatigue behind a well-practiced and perfected mask.

'_Ugh! I'm sick of these guys!' _she exclaimed to herself, referring to the Buels that her 'Crescent Wish' had pummelled.

Selphie had begun to feel a little relieved that the sun was setting rather rapidly by now, meaning that Squall would allow the party to set up the tent, and call it a night. She could feel a pretty nasty headache clawing its way into her head, and she knew that even if they were to rest now, her sleep was going to be interrupted by the drilling pains in her skull. It wouldn't be long before dizziness would overcome her vision. Maybe it would just be best if she asked the guys if they could rest up now and get an early start tomorrow morning.

"Umm… Squall…? Zell…?" she began, with a lot less strength in her voice than she had intended.

Zell turned around to face the young girl at the mention of his name, quite surprised by the sight he saw.

"Whoa, Sefie… You don't look too good…" the blonde said, with genuine worry in his words.

"Oh! I'm fine but, umm… Do you mind if we call it a night? I guess I'm a little tired that's all... Uhhh, I'll be okay in the morning, I promise!"

Squall narrowed blue eyes as he studied his teammate with a slight hint of suspicion, "…Whatever."

"YAY! Thanks, Squall!" She spun on her heel to face away from her party members and sighed a little, _"Yeah… I'll be okay in the morning."_

After tents were set up and many potions were used, the SeeDs began to settle down to rest… right? No. Something was on a certain blondes mind.

Selphie Tilmitt.

The young brunette had worried Zell. She was normally so bubbly, so cheery, even when times were at their toughest. Why was she like this? There was something wrong, yet Zell just could not put his finger on it, _'Maybe… I said something? I always seem to open my trap at the wrong times… maybe I upset her…'_

He sat up at rubbed his face with his hands in an attempt to remove some sleepiness. He checked a small clock that Squall carried everywhere with him-perhaps to make sure he was always on time-and groaned slightly at the numbers '4:36'.

Zell silently glanced over at his two teammates. The taller of the two sleeping, made no noise. He lay there motionlessly. However, the young girl tossed and turned with her eyebrows furrowed. Zell assumed that it was either a nightmare or just a bad night's sleep.

The tattooed young man came to the conclusion that the chance of any sleep now was 'friggin' zero,' and that he may as well allow the sunny dressed girl have more room. He decided to leave the tent and get a few hours of warm up. Around about now, more monsters would appear, so perhaps it was a good thing that at least one member of the group was awake, to protect the others. He pulled on his Maverick and exited the tent.

As a wave of cold breeze hit him, the blonde took a deep breath and inhaled the cool, fresh, early morning air. The heat would soon a beat down on the blank landscapes along with the three SeeD members. It was highly likely that today was going to be a long one, so he made sure to make the most of the short amount of time he would have by himself, on this precious morn.

Taking sight of a lone Jelleye, he set off with no less than a victory in mind. Taking it down would be easy. Fighting was in their nature. In _SeeDs _nature. Combat would be inevitable for members of SeeD. They knew this, yet it never fazed them. This was just how it was-for as long as Zell could remember anyway. He sometimes wondered if SeeD was just a military force of machines, heartless, cold, machines that acted upon order without allowing any emotion to stand between you and your mission. He wondered what the others thought too but he'd by no means ask, _"Squall would never tell me anyway…" _He thought.

However, his thoughts were broken when he initiated battle with the Jelleye. The blondes mind set into action as he planned his moves in his head, prior to his attack. "Heh-haaaa. Bring. It. ON!" He yelled, forgetting to stay quiet as to not wake his friends. The Jelleye noticed the slightly-spiky young man and casted a fairly weak Fire spell in his direction, "You'll have to try harder than that," the spiky boy taunted. He threw his fists in the direction of the monster, successfully knocking two hits into it. Satisfied, Zell watched his opponent recoil from the blows but it wasn't over yet. The Jelleye casted another few Fire and Thunder spells in rapid succession, although this didn't faze Zell. He already had both Fire and Thunder junctioned to his Elem-Def-J from the night before, so all was well. Zell had managed to get about 4 or 5 more punches in before he realised at last minute that a Blizzard spell had been cast and was about to drop on his head.

"Ohhh, crap!"

The blonde rolled away quickly but not quite quickly enough as the spell hit his leg. He grunted in pain as he watched the monster draw closer to him. Zell picked himself up off the ground before running at the Jelleye, knocking his left fist and right foot, into the lower and upper half of the enemy, respectively. The Jelleye was thrown a few feet back from the force of the impact but came back for more, and using the last little bit of its energy, casted a fairly strong Blizzaga spell to hit Zell in a desperate attempt to kill the young man, as the monster itself fell to the ground and dissolved.

The young man became victorious and his cocky stance returned. Feeling colder than he was before, he made his way back to the tent were his teammates rested. He slipped back into the tent carefully so as to not make any noise that may wake up the stoic leader or (usually) bubbly teen. Much to his surprise, the latter was nowhere to be found. The blonde's eyes widened infinitesimally. '_Where is she? Is she okay? Was she looking for me? Why has she gone? Was she kidnapped? No, no… she'd kick their ass! So… where is she?'_

"What in the hell is goin' on?" he half-yelled under his breath.

His pulse had risen to a hasty speed as he worried about his teammate-his_ friend_. He exited through the other side of the tent to see a very tired-looking, teary-eyed, Selphie Tilmitt.

She was sat on a large log that Squall had put there last night, she was shivering slightly, her eyelashes wet and her eyes reddened. The poor girl's lips were parted slightly as she watched her breath escape in small white clouds. She fiddled with her hands in her lap almost nervously, although she hadn't noticed Zell's presence yet. Her back was facing the tent and her puffy, green eyes were fixated on a spot in the distance.

Where the sun would rise.

The blonde's mouth fell open slightly at the sight he saw. The most cheerful, happy member of the group was looking so worn-down, so tired, so upset, so…un-like Selphie. It pained him to see her like this, even though he didn't really know why. Not that it really mattered, all he knew was that his friend was upset and that maybe, she needed someone right now.

"…Sefie…?"

The shorter teen jumped slightly, not expecting to hear a voice or even a sound.

She wiped her eyes and patted her cheeks lightly and cheered, "Hiya, Zelly," as happy as she could, although it was rather unconvincing, and even Zell noticed her trying to hide her sorrows.

Without words, the young man came and sat next to the brunette. He began voicing over in his head what he wanted to say but the words wouldn't come. He wanted to ask the broken girl if she was okay, but the lines were stuck in his throat. He felt helpless as he sat next to his long-lost, childhood friend. He wanted to say something, _anything _that might make her feel better. But he was speechless. What a rarity _that_ was.

The young girl began to shake more violently, her mask seemed to shatter in front of Zell's eyes and a vulnerable, saddened, destroyed face came into view, as she lowered her head almost in shame. As far as she was concerned, her friends weren't supposed to see her sad because it would make them worry. Selphie couldn't want anything more than her friends to be happy, she was sure that there wasn't anything that she wouldn't do to make that happen. She bit her lower lip in a futile attempt to stop her tears from falling.

Zell was the first to break the silence, "…You know… It's okay to cry sometimes. Don't feel bad."

"…But, I'm fine… really-"

"-No you're not fine," he voiced gently, "…Selphie…what's wrong?"

"…It's just…It's…Trabia…"

'_DAMN, Zell, you idiot! Of COURSE it's Trabia!' _He mentally scolded himself.

"I'm sorry."

"Why, Zell? You didn't do anyth-"

Her usually feisty green eyes met with Zell's blue. He was really quite shocked at just how vulnerable she looked right now. He caught her while her guard was down. And her eyes…her tear-stained, yet beautiful green eyes…they told him everything there was to tell.

"-That's just it. I didn't _do anything_…I'm sorry, Selphie. I really am sorry. I never asked how you were or anything…I guess it's because you looked okay…you were always smiling or laughing…you were always so strong that I didn't…"

The yellow dressed girl began to let out soft cries. Her eyes freely let out salty tears that were to slide down her face and fall to her hands. Shaking from cold and from sadness, the girl wept her heart out. Zell, feeling it was the only thing he could do, took his jacket off, wrapped it around Selphie's shoulders and pulled her closer to him, using one arm to hold her into a tight embrace. She rested her head on his chest, as he continued to talk despite the fact that he was no good with words.

"I mean…what I'm saying is, that you've been so strong. Trabia…must've been like, your home, like Balamb Garden is mine, a-and yours too but…umm, what I'm trying to say is that…if what happened to Trabia happened to Balamb, I really don't know what I'd do. I would be broken. _Lost_. But you… you've been so much stronger than I would've been and anyone else could've been. You… you still always… end the day smiling. I just hope that there's some way that I can help, to keep that smile on your face… and maybe, make you feel better…"

"You have, Zell… thank you…" the girl whimpered in between sniffles as she slowly drifted off to a much needed sleep, "…thank… you."

"I'll do anything… _anything_." He whispered, practically inaudibly.

Zell looked down on the young girl who had just fallen asleep on him; he decided to let the girl rest for a little while. He thought that if he woke her up, that would be kinda mean and she might not even get back to sleep again, so he just let her nap. Squall would be up soon anyway, and he'd want to get up and out fast, to get this mission out of the way. Typical Squall, really.

Only an hour or two later led to a fairly confused Squall with his eyebrows furrowed, waking up in an empty tent. He wasn't worried; he was just surprised because he was normally the first up in the mornings. It was usually him that would have to by some means manage to wake up a snoring Zell, and a restless Selphie. Oh the joys of being a SeeD. He was even more surprised to see Zell sat on the floor with his back resting on the log with a sleeping Selphie next to him, using his chest as a pillow.

"…"

"…Say what you want but it's not what it _kinda_ looks like."

"…whatever. We'll be leaving soon. Make sure you're both prepared."

"Right."

The sun had risen not long ago so, Squall was ready to go. Naturally. Zell had been dreading the part where he'd have to wake her up, _'Ohhh man, what's _she_ gonna think? Will she be all freaked out?'_

Clearly, Zell worries too much. Selphie rolled her head off of Zell chest and attempted to rub the sleep out of her eyes. She blinked slowly several times as if to adjust her forest green orbs to the new light of the sun. Selphie stretched her arms out behind her and yawned, forcing Zell to move his head out of the way to avoid getting a fist in his face _this_ early in the morning.

"Good morning, Zelly-boy! Morning, Squally!"

"Morning, Selphie," said a certain blonde with a grin.

"Good to see you up. We'll be heading for the legendary Centra Ruins again, shortly. Failing that, we'll report back to Garden speak with Xu, Nida and Quistis to plan our next move."

"Right-o!"

When all three SeeDs were ready, they set off again on their mission to find the long lost ruins of Centra. It was gonna be a long day-again-and all members knew that, but it was their job. They would do what needed to be done…even though this task did not involve any form of 'sorceress hunting,' they would be able to get any necessary training in that was needed. And _needed_ it was.

Many Bomb's, Buel's, Jelleye's and Blitz' later, they found themselves stood before a large tower-like temple _thing_, dominated by an octahedral frame which stood out amongst the surroundings. The structure looked rather out-of-place as it was the last remaining building in Centra.

"I guess this is it," said a defiant-looking brunette eyeing up the mysterious ruins.

"Whoo-ho-hooaaa! Neat-o!"

"Hey-hey-hey, Know-it-all-Zell's got some info fer ya!"

"…Let's hear it…"

"Right, so, these legendary ruins are said to be the last remaining remnants of what was once a very advanced civilisation. The whole city, no, the whole COUNTRY was wiped out in the Lunar Cry."

"Lunar Cry?"

"WHAT? You don't know what the Lunar Cry is? Don't you ever read any of the study panel's information?"

Squall, brushed off this accusative question with a shrug of his shoulders.

"_Damn_… well I'll tell you!" The blonde man exclaimed, scratching the back of his head while returning to his usual cocky stance, "The Lunar Cry is a natural phenomenon in which the creatures of the moon fall down to the earth at regular intervals."

"Creatures of the moon?"

"Monsters."

"NO WAY!" cried a worried Selphie.

"Yeah way. So, like, after the Lunar Cry has taken place, there can be totally dramatic effects on the planet! The monsters are so brutal, they can take out entire cities, and even nations, and that just so happened to Centra."

'_How does he even know all this stuff…? I guess I oughta give the guy some credit...' _thought Squall,_ 'He seems to know what he's talking about.'_

"Oooooh wow, Zelly! Thanks for telling us! …Soooo, Squall! What's our mission?" She asked excitedly, eyes lit up like the events of the early morning, had never happened.

"We are to investigate the remains of the Centra Ruins. Be on your guard, both of you. Judging by what Zell just told us there may be monsters still thriving amongst the remnants."

"Right!"

As the small team approached the old, crumbling structure, Selphie came across a small sign. She allowed her fingers to trace the letters carefully, absent-mindedly, and youthfully as she read out the words, "My Blue Heaven."

"Alright!" She yelled, punching the air, "Let's get goin'!"

He hated it. He hated how she had to try so hard. It was difficult for her, and Zell could see that now, after talking to her that morning. He hated how she would have to hide her feelings, her complaints, her thoughts, her _mourning_, just so that she wouldn't upset any other teammates. Zell had tried to think about what she must be going through a lot that morning. Hell, he had a lot of time on his hands. But, his mind ambushed his heart, and his emotions contrasted his thoughts.

'_She must feel so bad…maybe even a little guilty… She must wonder why she was so lucky as to have not been there, at Trabia, at the time. Maybe she…blames herself… Why? What can I do to help…? I can't help. I can't interfere. She won't want, or even need, my help…. But I wanna know if she's okay, I mean what if she's not? She tries to stay cheerful even though she must be totally emotionally shattered…she kinda reminds me of these ruins…'_

It was true. The ruins did seem to have a resemblance with the cheery, youthful, yet broken brunette. The tower-like structure had seemed to face thick and thin, from dusk to dawn. It had seen many faces of many problems and conquered them before. After years of being battered, damaged and torn apart, the tower was still standing, even though its surroundings had fallen. It was a survivor.

So was Selphie.

She would forever keep the spirits of the SeeD members up, she was a valuable asset to any team-as _Squall_ said himself once-and Zell thought that maybe if keeping her friends happy made her happy, then it would be okay. But, that didn't stop the pain that clawed at him when he saw emotional soreness in the young girls beautiful, green eyes.

It took a while, but after a few hours of patiently grinding against tough monsters inside the ancient ruins, they located and defeated a legend of a GF, Odin, and he had offered his services to the team. They left the large room where they obtained Odin and began to return to the entrance of the tower. It was hard to not notice that the seemingly ancient ruins were riddled with small wires leading to who-knows-where and other devices which appeared to be powered by magic – an unknown cause.

"This is sooooo cool; I'm going to have so much to write in the diary!" Selphie yelled, her voice coming into contact with large, stone surfaces, and bouncing off into different directions.

Eventually, the three friends managed to set their sights on the entrance. They'd be able to return to Garden soon. They'd be able to _sleep_ properly soon. Squall thought that maybe, the only reason why he actually managed to survive this mission, was because his mind was set on being able to get back into the now-mobile Garden.

His few moments of absent-minded bliss were over at the sound of a certain young girl's voice…

"_OH_ _MY_ _GOD_!" She squealed, "_A_ TONBERRY!"

Squalls eyes widened infinitesimally and his mouth fell open slightly, as he dropped his fingers onto the hilt of his gunblade, to protect his friend if need be.

"Eek! Look how cute it is!"

"Yeah, and look at that friggin' big-ass knife in its hand! …Paw…thing…"

The female brunette tapped her chin in thought as she actually wondered on what kind of hand the Tonberry had. This sight was enough to make their squad leader facepalm. Only those two. _Only_ those two, would stand no more than three feet away from a Tonberry and discuss its body parts. Said Tonberry began to slowly walk towards the yellow dressed girl with its knife at the ready, but before even Squall, the most observant of the SeeDs could even grab his Lionheart to slay the creature threatening his friend, Zell's face washed white and he yelled, "Sefie! Look out!"

He quite literally launched right on top of her, toppling them both on the dusty floor and having the two roll to a stop. He saved her. The blonde shifted his weight so the shorter girl would not be crushed under him, ending in the pair lying side by side on the dark, dusty floors. Zell asked the spunky teen if she was okay before jack-knifing to his feet and holding out a hand to help the girl up. A ghost of a smile appeared on her face as she simply nodded in response to his question and took his hand, breathing rapidly in an attempt to get her breath back. With a flash of a smile, Zell swiftly jogged over to join the taller brunette to "take out that damn thing!"

Selphie took a moment to get her bearings and pull herself together before she reached for her over-sized nunchaku, and reluctantly joined in the fight with her friends. She flailed her 'Crescent Wish' around to provide a distraction so a light-footed Squall would be able to hit a few good slices into the small-but-deadly beasts back. For such a small monster, it moved fast as it drew nearer and nearer to an increasingly nervous Zell. Who can blame him? That thing has a nasty looking knife on him! But the knife wasn't the only trick up its sleeve. The small green monster casted one of its signature abilities,

'Everyone's Grudge.'

Waves and beams of coloured light harshly battled against the blondes' body, putting the young man under immense sensation of pressure. He felt sharp "light-waves" pass through his body, leaving him feeling as though his insides were being pulled through and out of his body. A blinding glare, indicated the end of the attack, yet it was that final part that made him feel as though he was going to explode.

After the brightness died, Zell began to feel a little better, as he felt the pressure leaving his body. Maybe it was no bad thing, it was training after all. The young lad felt a sense of accomplishment that he had managed to survive such an attack, but he really had no time to think about it as the surprisingly nimble Tonberry spun and aimed its sights at Squall: team leader.

The small beast drew in on the quietest SeeD, with its knife at the ready. Squall swallowed as he took in what he saw: a small—tiny one might say—monster, with glaring yellow eyes and a green body with skin-like texture. Perhaps it was soft to the touch, but there was no way in hell that he was gonna try and find out. The forest-coloured beast wore some kind if overall that resembled a potato sack in the eyes of the brunette. In its left hand, it held a lantern which held an eerie, lingering light that left a golden glow on the 'Chef's Knife,' that was wrapped in a tight grip, accentuating its sharpness.

The Tonberry launched a surprise attack on an unexpected Selphie, its knife meeting the familiar feeling of an opponent's flesh tearing. She yelped at the uncomfortable but bearable pain and hurriedly casted a weak cure spell. She pulled a face at the initial itching as the wound began to knit itself together. Zell flailed his fists into the sides of the creature, as Squall narrowly dodged a knife attack. The female brunette focused her energy on keeping the males on their toes; it wasn't like she was in shape to be fighting right now. She was tired and sad; it sure was taking its toll on her.

Some time had passed since the battle began and the party members where feeling the pain by now. Squall was sure his limbs were going to fall off, and his Lion Heart was going to break, at this rate. And Selphie was mentally frazzled from casting so many cure spells. Zell felt as though his knuckles were cut to the bone, he could see blood dripping from them to form a pool on the floor. After the gruelling battle though, the team managed to pull through, and the squad leader dealt the finishing blow triumphantly. The Tonberry fell onto its back and silently dissolved into the ground. Thank Hyne _that_ was over.

"FffffFFFFWwwWAaAAHH-" Zell stretched out his limbs to ease some of the tension that had built up during the battle. "-Oh, _oh_ _OUCH_!" he half yelled as he noticed a bloody knife wound cut deep into his right arm. He quickly used his free hand to hold over the open wound in a futile attempt to stop some of the bleeding. The petite young woman wiped the sweat and blood of her face with her forearm before running over to cast a few more spells on her injured friends.

"Umm, Selphie? Would you mind-"

"N-no, not at all," she answered before he had chance to finish his question. She plopped herself onto the dusty ground and sat with her legs crossed. With her hand she signalled Zell to join her, "Oh, hey, I never had the chance to thank you for earlier, for when you saved me from being stabbed to death," she stated matter-of-factly, "I guess I was being WAY careless!"

"Nah, nah, no problem!"

The young girl casted one of her cure spells on Zell's injury, blue tendrils of some kind of unknown substance began to wrap around his wound gently. The matter calmed the angry pain and slowed the blood flow before the skin gradually began to weave itself together. The blonde screwed up his nose in a clear expression of distaste from the itching sensation before the ghost of a smile tugged at his lips.

Selphie watched how the blondes blue eyes were highlighted by the healing power of the magic. She watched as his eyes darted around watching the gentle water-like magic dance around him almost childishly. She watched as his eyes met hers. Blushing, she cheered, "There we go, much better!"

"Awesome, thanks."

"You're welcome!"

"…Hey, so uhhh… Why do you like Tonberries so much?" The tattooed blonde inquired, while scratching the back of his head.

"I don't really know… But they're SO _CUTE_!"

Zell's features creased into a quizzical expression, but the brunette was seemingly too involved in the question that she didn't appear to notice, "When I was a little kid, I had a Tonberry plushie. It was quite possibly _the_ single coolest thing ever! I _loved_ it!"

"_Who buys a child a _TONBERRY_ toy?" _The blonde thought to himself.

"But you know what…? Come to think of it… I don't know what I did with it…did I…lose it?" The brunette began to think aloud absent-mindedly, "I…can't remember…"

A taller brunette stood with his arms crossed, as he said pretty much in a monotone, "It's probably the GFs fault."

"_It sounds stupid making the same excuse over and over again. As much as I'd like to deny it, I guess it's true. Maybe…it _is_ the GFs fault for our memory loss."_

"Hmmm…maybe. Aww. I miss that toy!" the young girl cried out, "Oh well… C'mon Squall, Zelly-boy! Let's go!"

She jumped up from her position on the floor, shook and dusted off her sunny yellow dress, before holding out her hand for Zell to take.

* * *

><p>Upon returning to Garden many hours later, Squall headed back to the bridge to file a report on the team's findings. He also made an announcement for Rinoa to collect Selphie from the Dormitory and take her to the Infirmary.<p>

Rinoa, the raven haired "princess" of the Forest Owls, lightly knocked on the door to her best friend's dorm, "Hey girl, you okay in there?"

"Mmmfffff…"

The girl dressed in blue chuckled slightly and took this "_answer_" as an invite inside. She gently pushed open the door to find a very sick-looking Selphie.

"Aww, Selphie… I didn't know you were so sick! Why didn't you tell me? You know I would have gone on your mission for you."

Selphie didn't look too good. Her nose was red and she was tucked right under her bed covers with only her head and the tips of her fingers showing. Beads of sweat lined her forehead and some threatened to fall down her face as her body trembled.

"No, no, it's okay. Really. It's just a cold that's all…" She sniffled.

"Sweetie, you shouldn't work so hard all the time. I'm worried you're gonna burn yourself out."

"Don't worry about me-"

"-It's not just me worrying!"

"Well, who else then?"

"_Everyone_, Selphie! We all you back on your feet again! _Especially Zell_." The raven haired girl teased.

"Wha-what do you mean '_Especially Zell_'?" she spluttered, blushing furiously.

"Hahaaaa, well yeah, totally. After you guys got back, you came straight here, right? Yeah, well both Squall and Zell went on up to the bridge to make a report, on whatever shiz you guys stirred," she explained, smiling good-naturedly. "Squall made an announcement, which I guess you heard, but I was already on the elevator to go and speak to him anyway. When I walked in, Zell was all freaking out because he didn't know that you were sick. He was really genuinely worried about you."

"…He…was?"

"Yeah. Totally."

"…Where is he now?"

"I don't know. He left a little while after I came onto 3F. I think he left Garden. He said something about being back later, so I wouldn't worry."

"…Okay."

"C'mon, let's get you down to the infirmary."

* * *

><p>Zell wandered over towards Selphie's dormitory door. He thought about what he was going to say, but all left his mind right now. All he was thinking of was the poor young girl's safety. He really did care about her. He didn't want her to be sad anymore. He wanted her to be happy again. He wanted to see her smile. He wanted to hear her laugh. He wanted <em>his<em> Selphie back.

He pressed his ear up against the door briefly and caught the sound of soft whimpers coming from inside the room. It hurt him. It pained the young man to listen to his best friend, _his_ _everything,_ crying. Even if it was only for a little while. He wanted to make sure she never cried again. He was sure he'd do anything… _anything_. He thought that maybe now wasn't the time. He could come back tomorrow; it was getting late, "No. It's now or never." He took a long, deep breath to stable his rapid breathing and knocked on the door lightly so as to not startle her. He had brought her a gift to make her feel better.

In his free hand he held a Tonberry plushie with the words "I love you" inscribed on the lantern.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So, did you like it? :D Personally, I did. Almost **_**too**_** much :) Oh my God, I evidently suck at proof-reading *face-palms* I deeply apologise for the typos and spelling mistakes and grammatical errors, but I'm still learning. Please don't kill me! D: So yeah, I hope that I have cleared up some of the errors in this update! I hope you enjoyed my fanfic as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you have the time, pretty, pretty pleeeeease review :) It will make me sooooo happy :D R&R! Thanks for reading :)!**

**Renmiri-Vixen **_(BluezBeauty)_** x x**


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